The Gain in the Growing Pains
by LJLanham
Summary: Follow up to "The Family in the Fieldwork"... Catching up with the Booths of "The Marriage in the Mission" as their lives continue to grow and change. Mostly family fluff, with a bit of business and a splash of teen angst.
1. Smiley Face Pancakes

_**tAN- I'm back… I will eventually finish "The Shift in the Relationship," but I just wasn't feeling it… so much so that I found it difficult to write anything else. So, I thought I would try to get back to my roots in order to get those creative juices flowing. So, for this story I thought I'd start with something familiar. This is a follow-up to/continuation of the "Marriage in the Mission" and "Family in the Fieldwork" series. I don't know that you have to have read or re-read those stories for this one to work for you- but the "reality" in this story is much different than that on the show.**_

_**It's been so long since I've written anything, I'm really going to rely on you to let me know if this is something you want to see. The length of the story will be determined by your response, but I do know where it's going.**_

_**This will be a fluffy, family tale… with a bit of business, and a splash of teen angst.**_

_**Big props to Steph and Rose for helping with the title, even though they didn't know that's what they were doing! LOL**_

* * *

Chapter One – Smiley Face Pancakes

* * *

"Chocolate chip pancakes? Seriously, Dad? I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Parks, it's the first day of school! It's a tradition. And it's your _last_ first day of school…"

"…and Amelia's first," Brennan said, walking into the kitchen.

"We know you've outgrown smiley face pancakes, Bub," Booth said with a chuckle, waving a pancake turner in his direction. "But we thought we might carry on the tradition for your little sister."

"If she feels like she's partaking in a tradition that was important to you, she might be less apprehensive about starting school today," Brennan replied, as she packed her daughter's lunchbox.

"Mimi's freaked out about going to school?" Parker leaned in to quietly ask his dad.

"I think it's more like Mommy's freaking out about Mia going to school," he answered, glancing over his shoulder in his wife's direction.

"Where is the little princess, anyway?" Parker asked.

"She's upstairs with Matty. I think she's worried he's going to be lonely when she goes to school."

"He's one," Parker said, laughing. "I think he'll be okay."

"She needs to eat breakfast," Brennan said. "We're going to need to leave soon."

"I'll go get her," Parker offered.

"Thank you, Parker," Brennan said, following him to the stairs. "If you can bring her down to breakfast, then I'll get Matthew dressed and ready for the day."

"You got it, Bones."

Booth watched as his wife and son made their way up the stairs to tend to the youngest members of the family. As he did often, he began to reflect on his family. He knew that he was truly a lucky man. Parker had really turned out to be a great kid. He was taking accelerated classes, planning to major in either physics or pre-med.

He was terrific with Mia, a miracle considering how most 12-year-old boys would adjust to having a baby sister. Four years later, they went through it all again when Matthew Henry was born. Matty had been a surprise to everyone, but as usual, Parker took it all in stride and continued to be a great big brother.

He couldn't contemplate the miracles in his life without his thoughts turning to his wife. Bones had become such an incredible mother. She was strong, and she taught the kids the importance of academia from a very young age. Being the mother of two young children hadn't changed her rational nature, she was still his Bones. But there were times when she was what you might picture as the typical mother. She was more anxious than Mia about her first day of school.

Mia was smart as a whip. She had a smart mouth to go along with it sometimes, but her mother insisted on keeping her grounded and making her behave. She was becoming a polite little girl… and she was very protective of her baby brother. Parker had taught her how to be an elder sibling, and she took the role very seriously. Mia was very serious about everything she did. Even at five years old, she was her mother made over.

Matty was a happy baby, and everyone said that his personality reflected his father's. Bones said the baby had his bone structure, that he was definitely a Booth man. Booth had to admit that he loved hearing that from her, but even more than that, he loved looking down at his little man and seeing his mother's eyes. He truly was a gift.

_Brennan came out of the private bathroom in her office and made her way to the sofa._

"_Oh my god, Brennan," Angela said. "Are you all right? You look a little green around the gills."_

"_I'll be fine, Angela," Brennan replied. "I'm just a little nauseous..." She leaned her head back on the back of the couch and closed her eyes._

"_I bet it was the Indian food last night," Angela went on. "I thought it looked a little sketchy."_

"_It's not the curry, Angela," Brennan answered without opening her eyes._

"_No?"_

"_No."_

"_What's going on, Bren?"_

"_It's my birthday present."_

"_Your birthday present?"_

"_Yes," Brennan told her friend. "At least that's what Booth is calling it. You know that Booth and I went to New York last weekend to celebrate my fortieth birthday..."_

"_Yes," Angela replied. "And you still haven't told me about that trip."_

"_It was on the trip that the nausea started," Brennan told her. "It felt familiar, but I didn't want to believe it."_

"_No," Angela said, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth._

"_On our way to my romantic birthday dinner," Brennan continued, "we stopped at Duane Reade to pick up a pregnancy test. It was positive. I got a baby for my fortieth birthday."_

"_That's one hell of a present," Angela said._

Brennan stopped as she and Parker reached the doorway to the nursery. She reached out and touched her son on the shoulder, keeping him from disturbing his little sister. They watched as Mia talked to her baby brother as he stood in his pack-and-play. The little girl was so solemn and so serious, it was all her mother could do to keep from laughing at the cuteness of it all.

"Matthew," the little girl said. "I am going to school today. I have to go all day, but you will be okay. Mommy and Daddy and Kelly will be here to take care of you. They'll play with you, too."

She reached out and touched they baby's cheek.

"I will play with you when I get home."

Parker looked to Brennan, smiling as she nodded.

"Mimi, it's time to come down for breakfast. Dad and I have a surprise for you."

"Really?" the little girl asked. "A surprise? For me?"

"Yep," Parker answered, scooping her up into his arms. "Mom's gonna get Matty ready and you and I are gonna go downstairs 'cause Dad made us a very special first-day-of-school-breakfast."

Mia giggled when Parker tickled her on the way out the door.

"Mama!" she called between laughs. "Mama!"

"I'm not getting in the middle of this, Little One," her mother answered, laughing. "You go have your special breakfast with Parker and Daddy. Matthew and I will be down in a few minutes."

She watched as they left the room and then turned her attention back to her little boy.

"Hey Dad!" Parker called out as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Look what I found in the baby's room."

"Hey, Princess! Are you ready for your first day of school?"

"Yep! Do you like my new dress?"

"It's beautiful, Baby Girl," her daddy replied. "Did Mommy help you pick it out?"

"Uh-huh," she answered. "She said I needed a very special dress for my first day of school."

"Well, it is a very special dress and you look very pretty," he told her. "Now we have to get you fed. You know, Mommy always says breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Yay! Pancakes!"

While Booth got his little girl situated, Parker plated her special smiley-face pancake.

"Not just any pancakes," Parker told the little girl as he placed her plate in front of her. "These are very special first-day-of-school smiley face pancakes. Dad's been making them for me since I was your age. Now, you get to have them, too."

"That's right, Princess," Booth said. "Smiley face pancakes on the first day of school are a special tradition… and now you get to be a part of it, too!"

"Thank you, Daddy," Mia said.

"Be careful not to get syrup on your pretty dress. Maybe we should borrow Mommy's apron…" Booth suggested.

"Or Matty's bib," Parker added with a wink.

"Nah, Mia's a big girl. I'm sure Mommy won't mind sharing her apron," Booth said, tying the garment around Mia's neck. "So, Parks, are you picking Stephanie up this morning?"

"Yeah," his son answered around a mouth full of pancakes. "So, I should probably get going." He leaned over to kiss his little sister on the head. "Have a great first day of school, Mimi. You're gonna do great."

* * *

"Director Booth, your one o'clock appointment is here."

Booth looked up from the report he was reading when he heard the voice coming through the intercom on his phone.

"Thank you, Karen," he said, holding down the talk button. "Send him in."

He stood up and walked around the desk to greet his visitor.

"Special Agent Hanson," he said, reaching out to shake the man's hand.

"Director," he replied.

Even after five years, Booth still had trouble with that title. He knew it was easier to just say 'Director' than use his full title of Assistant Deputy Director, but it felt funny somehow to be addressed as 'Director Booth.'

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting, Hanson? The squints giving you a hard time?" he asked with a smile as he returned to his seat behind the desk.

He tried to maintain a casual atmosphere with his agents, especially the Special-Agents-In-Charge. He ran his departments with a firm hand and the agents knew he was serious, but they respected him, too. He got results because his agents knew that he respected them in turn. He also tried to maintain as much an 'open-door policy' as he could, allowing for the nature of their work.

"No," Hanson answered with a smile. "The team is great. I have really enjoyed working with them. That's why I'm here…"

"Why did that sound as if it's in the past tense?" Booth asked.

"Because it's going to be," Hanson replied. "My mother is very ill," he went on. "She's suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and she can no longer care for herself. My sister has been taking care of her, but she can't do it on her own anymore. She needs round-the-clock care, but we promised her years ago that she would never be placed in a nursing home. Even though she probably doesn't remember, I just can't do that to her. My wife and I have decided to move back to Denver. Mom will live with us, and my wife will be there with her when I'm working. She and my sister will be able to spell each other during the day…" he paused with a sigh and looked up at the boss that he so respected. "I think it's the best thing. I really appreciate the opportunities I've had working here, with you and with the Jeffersonian team. But right now, my family has to come first. I'm putting in a transfer request, but I wanted to tell you myself first."

"I appreciate that, Hanson," Booth replied. "And I have great respect for any man who puts his family first. Whatever you need, you let me know. Do you need a letter of recommendation? I would be happy to do that. I can talk to the ADD out there and see if they have an SAIC position, I'd hate for you to have to step down on top of everything else."

"Thank you, Sir. That would be great… although, I don't really know what the situation is going to be like out there. It might be better for me to be in the field, not as many responsibilities as far as managing other agents…."

"… but the hours are more tricky," Booth replied.

"That's also true."

"How long until you leave?"

"Well, I guess that depends on the Bureau, Sir. We'll go whenever the transfer comes through. My wife's best friend is a real estate agent, she'll be taking care of the house so that we don't have to worry about making sure it's sold before we leave…"

"Sounds like you've got everything well in hand," Booth answered. "I'd like your input on who we should put in your position. You've done a great job with the squints, and that's no easy task. No one knows that better than I do. I'll talk to Director Cullen and Dr. Brennan. We'll start looking for someone to take over right away."

Both men stood as the meeting came to a close. Booth reached out to shake the agent's hand.

"Good luck to you," he said. "And my best wishes for your mother and your family."

"Thank you, Sir."

* * *

"What a day, huh?" Booth said, settling in to bed as his wife reached over to turn off the bedside lamp.

"It was quite eventful," she replied.

"Nothing is ever simple," he said, wrapping her in his arms. "It seems like there's always something going on. I feel like that old Morton Salt kid, 'When it rains, it pours.'"

"I don't know what that means."

Booth laughed out loud. It was nice to see that amid all the changes, some things never changed. Long ago, he'd realized that Bones was savvier than he'd given her credit for when it came to common phrases and the like. But he could still get her on obscure, and sometimes not so obscure, pop culture references.

"It's an old commercial, Babe," he said, placing a kiss on her temple. "I just meant that it seems like it's always something with us. And change comes in waves… big ones. I never imagined that my son would be starting his last year of high school and my daughter would be starting kindergarten on the same day. And now, we have to find a new agent to liaise with the Squint Squad…"

They lay in silence for a few minutes before he picked up his line of thought.

"…and before you know it, we'll be sending Matty off to school."

"Life does seem to be in a constant state of flux," Brennan replied. "But you learned about the law of entropy a long time ago, Booth. The world around us is constantly changing, and as humans we must learn to adapt and change along with it."

"And we do know all about that, don't we?"


	2. Two is Better than One

_**AN – The response to this story has been promising… thank you for the follows, favorites and alerts! It helps me to continue writing and to post faster when I know what is working and what isn't. Your reviews mean a lot, especially as I'm kind of finding my way into the fanfic world again. Please, take a minute and let me know what you think.**_

* * *

Chapter Two – Two is Better than One

* * *

"Good morning, everyone," Brennan said to the assembled crowd. "We have a shipment coming in from the dig in Turkey. I believe Dr. Thur's find to be significant, and for us to have a hand in authenticating it would be considerable, both for the Jeffersonian and for whomever gets to publish the results…."

She left that thought hang in the air. She felt that since she had taken over the day-to-day operations of the lab three years ago, there had developed a level of healthy competition among her students and anthropological staff members that had them all striving for excellence in academic pursuits.

"Everyone should get plenty of time to assess the remains and compile his or her own findings. We have no open FBI cases at the moment, so when you are not working with Dr. Thur's subject, I expect to see everyone working on a historical case from Bone Storage."

She stopped speaking and assuming the meeting to be over, the team began to stand and disassemble.

"One more thing," she said, stopping them from leaving the conference table. "Due to personal reasons, Agent Hanson will be leaving us. I am meeting today with Directors Cullen and Booth to create a plan to decide upon an agent to take his place. I may be unavailable in the afternoon."

This time when she stopped speaking, the assembled team was slow to vacate the room.

"You may go," Brennan told them.

Angela followed Brennan back to her office.

"Thank you for coming in for the meeting, Angela."

"Of course," Angela replied. "I do still work here. Although, sometimes it doesn't feel like it," she added with a smile. "What's going on with Hanson?"

"He's moving to Colorado," Brennan answered.

"Just like that?"

"I told you, Angela. His reasons are personal. He will tell us if he wants us to know."

"But you know," Angela said.

Brennan acknowledged with a quick nod.

"Because Booth told you," Angela stated rather than asking. "That's not fair."

"Angela," Brennan said the warm but scolding voice she used with the children. "After all these years, you still find it necessary to get involved in everyone else's business?"

"What can I say?" Angela asked with a sheepish shrug. "It's who I am."

"Well, who I am is the Administrator of this lab and I cannot engage in this conversation…"

"All right, all right. I'll change the subject. How did Mia's first day of school go?"

"She loved it," Brennan said, smiling. "When we picked her up, she went on and on about her teacher and the children in the class and all the different activities she'd taken part in. She was so excited. I think I was more apprehensive about it than she was. You should have seen her saying goodbye to Matthew. She was instructing him not to miss her and that Booth and Kelly and I would take care of him. She even made me promise to play with him while she was gone."

"That's cute! She's such a good big sister."

"She learned from Parker."

"Oh, and speaking of the junior studmuffin, how was his first day of senior year?"

"It also went well," Brennan answered. "He got the section of Advanced Physics and the Anatomy class he wanted to get into. Because they are advanced placement, they will count toward his college credit."

"That's awesome."

"He plans to go out for football," Brennan went on. "Tryouts are next week, but he's been conditioning all summer, so he's not worried."

"He was the backup QB last year," Angela said. "With the Brock kid graduating, he'll be starting this year. Of course he's not worried."

"Principal Tanner assigned him to work with a new student who transferred this year from California. He said he would be showing her around the school and helping her to get acclimated."

"Her?" Angela asked. "I'm sure Steph didn't like that."

"Why not?"

"Hello, Brennan… you know what it's like to be in love with a Booth man. They just ooze all that studly charm. I'm sure this new girl is gonna be all over that like white on rice."

"Yes," Brennan said with a smile. "Like his father, Parker is both charming and very good looking. But also like his father, he is a gentleman. I'm sure he would never do anything to make Stephanie feel uncomfortable."

"Do you remember high school at all, Bren?"

"Of course I do," Brennan replied. "However, I did not have the experience of dating the quarterback. Nor did any of the boys in my school resemble Booth—physically or in demeanor. So, I fail to see what my high school experience has to do with any of this."

"Nothing, Bren," Angela replied, holding back a chuckle. "You're right. It has nothing to do with it at all. When are you meeting Booth and Cullen? Can we do lunch? I don't have to pick the twins up from preschool until 2 today, it would be nice to have a little grown-up time."

"I'm actually meeting them at Booth's office at 2, so that would work out perfectly."

* * *

Booth looked up as he heard a soft tap on his door. It was very unusual for Karen to let someone in without announcing them. He smiled when he realized who his visitor was.

"Hey, Babe."

"Hi," Brennan replied, walking toward his desk.

Booth looked down at his watch.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here? Our meeting with Cullen isn't for almost forty-five minutes."

"I had lunch with Angela," she answered. "Rather than going back to the lab and then having to turn around and come back out here, I just decided to come here and wait for the meeting."

"I'm glad you did," he told her.

"How is your day going?" she asked.

"All right," he answered. "Missing Persons has a big case. There was a little kid missing from the Mall today. He's about Mia's age. His Mom said she just turned away for a minute to get a soda from the hot dog vendor and when she turned back, he was gone. It's a tough one."

"I'm sorry," she said, reaching out to cup his cheek. "I know how hard the cases involving children are for you."

"And I have to replace the SAIC of Major Crimes along with the liaison to the Jeffersonian."

"Along with?"

"Yeah, I know that both Hanson and I did both jobs, but we think we're going to separate it out to two guys this time. We want the guy running the department actually here- running the department. And we want the guy working with the lab to be one hundred percent available to the squints. I'm even thinking of assigning a two-man team to the Jeffersonian. It gives you guys more resources and gets more of my guys used to working with squints."

They both looked up as they heard a knock on the door.

"Seeley, do you think Dr. Brennan would mind postponing our meeting? I'm double booked this afternoon…" Cullen said, walking into the office without looking up from the file in his hand.

"No, Sam," Brennan answered. "That's fine. I'd be happy to reschedule."

"Temperance," Cullen replied. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to see you."

"I had a lunch meeting on this side of town and just decided to come early."

"That works out great," Booth's boss said. "Why don't we just do it now?"

"Fine with me," Booth replied. "Bones?"

"Of course," she answered.

"Sam, I was just telling Bones that we'll be promoting a new SAIC and assigning a different agent as the Jeffersonian liaison."

"Right," Cullen said. "And I what about assigning a two-man team to the Jeffersonian?"

"I was just getting to that," Booth answered.

"Why would we need two agents?"

"Agents usually work in pairs, Dr. Brennan," Cullen supplied. "Booth was always a bit of a lone wolf, so I was actually pleased when he wanted to work with you…"

"Hanson and Perotta were partners when they worked with the squints while we were gone," Booth went on. "The past couple of years, it's worked with Hanson alone because he's also the SAIC, so whenever he needed a hand he'd just pull another agent. It works best that way. You know that you and I both prefer when Clark stays out of the field."

"Squints in the lab, agents in the field," Cullen added.

Before Brennan could object, Booth spoke up.

"Of course, as usual Bones, you were the exception to the rule."

"I suppose that is logical," Brennan agreed. "So, do you have an idea who these two agents would be?"

"I was thinking about Perotta because she's already got the experience," Booth said. "But she's partnered with Wade and I don't think that he'd be a good fit for the Jeffersonian, at all…"

"That wouldn't work, anyway," Brennan reminded her husband. "We'd end up with the same problem you and I ran into. Did you forget Peyton and Wendell are getting married in November?"

"Oh, crap," Booth said, then glanced at his boss. "I did, actually. Sam, what are your thoughts?"

"I'd really like to assign the new kid, Sparling. She's got a good head on her shoulders and she's tough. She's quick to pick up on things… she just needs some experience. She was top of her class at Quantico."

"You're right," Booth replied. "She's good. You know she's worked a couple of cases with Sweets… now that he's a full-fledged agent…

"I can't believe we gave him a gun," Cullen said, mostly under his breath.

"I agree. I fail to see how it's okay for Dr. Sweets to carry a gun, but not for me…" Brennan interjected.

"So, we assign Sweets and Sparling until we can find her a permanent partner?" Booth suggested, quickly changing the subject.

"That works for me," Cullen answered. "Dr. Brennan?"

"I think that is a reasonable solution," she answered. "Dr. Sweets is familiar with our team and how we work. He will be beneficial in helping Agent Sparling to acclimate and then she will be able to do so when she is assigned a permanent partner."

* * *

Dinner in the Booth household was family time. They had established long ago that it was the best time for everyone to spend some time together and share whatever had happened in their day.

Mia took it as yet another excuse to 'hold court.' She may have her mother's personality, but she definitely had her father's way with telling a story.

Matthew wasn't old enough to share… or to talk, really… but he still found his ways of getting and keeping everyone's attention.

Parker shared bits and pieces…enough to let his parents feel that he was still engaged in the tradition, but most of the time he was perfectly happy with letting Mia hold the limelight.

He had told his parents about the fact that Principal Tanner had asked him to show the new girl around school. He didn't tell them that she was gorgeous… or that she'd asked him out. He couldn't tell them because he was really tempted to hook up with her. He was almost eighteen and he'd been with the same girl since Freshman year. Steph was great… she was cute, and super-smart. She liked his family and was great with Mia, which was really important since he always said his little sister was the most important girl in his life. But there was just something about Laci. She was gorgeous… hot, even. She had a good head on her shoulders, but she wasn't really into academics. She had been head cheerleader at her old school, and planned to go out for the squad. His parents loved Steph, and his dad was always going on and on to him about being a gentleman, and the right way to treat a girl. No… he couldn't tell them about Laci.

He'd stick with the easy subjects: football with Dad and science with Bones.

"Dad, are you going to make it to tryouts on Monday?"

"I don't know, Parks," his father answered. "I hope to. It just depends on what comes up between now and then. I had Karen mark out my afternoon so that I'm out of the office by three. But if something crazy comes up…"

"Right," Parker replied. He understood the demands of his dad's job, but sometimes it was still disappointing when he couldn't make it to stuff. Not that football tryouts were really a big deal… especially this year. He'd been the back-up QB for two years and the starting QB graduated, so it was pretty much a done deal that he'd be starting this year. "It's cool, Dad. I don't think it's gonna be too big a deal, anyway."


	3. Hands On

_**AN - Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter... Keep 'em coming. Hearing from you really keeps me going and helps me to keep writing. **_

_**This chapter contains some coarse language. **_

_**Also, in the last installments of this series, Rebecca's husband had a sort of split-personality disorder because I apparently couldn't decide whether his name was Drew or Brent, LOL. I ran into that same problem in this chapter. I even pulled out my original document for "The Family in the Fieldwork." Guess what? In that document, I used both names- guess I never corrected it. In any case, I do believe I chose Brent so that's who he's going to be from here on out.**_

* * *

Chapter Three – Hands On

* * *

"Did you see the way that new girl was all over Parker Booth?"

"He didn't seem like he minded too much…"

"That girl is trouble."

"And she's trashy. I heard she's going out for squad."

"Not if I can help it."

"Maybe it would be good if she did…"

"What?"

"Parker is going to be the starting quarterback, it would be good if he were dating a cheerleader instead of that geek."

"Not cool, Jen. Stephanie is a sweet girl, and Parker isn't like those Neanderthals on the football team. You're just jealous 'cause you've got a crush on him."

"Shut up, Kara," Jenna said, hoping the other girls didn't notice her blush. "He's cute. What can I say?"

Stephanie listened from around the corner as the cheerleaders continued to talk about her and Parker and Laci Armstrong. Parker told her that Principal Tanner made him show the new girl around, but she never considered that there might be more to it. She quickly shook that thought from her mind. She'd been going with Parker for three years and he'd never given her reason to think that she couldn't trust him.

* * *

Everyone looked up from the platform as Booth walked in to the lab with Sweets and a young woman.

"Dr. Brennan is in her office," Vincent Nigel-Murray supplied.

After spending two years as Brennan's assistant, Vincent had obtained his doctorate and took over as one of the Jeffersonian's staff anthropologists when Daisy Wick left the museum to join a field research team based out of Oxford University but working in Northwest China. He sometimes fell back on his old duties like announcing Dr. Brennan's visitors.

"Thanks, Vince," Booth called out with a wave as he and his entourage breezed past the platform on their way to Brennan's office.

He tapped on the doorframe to get his wife's attention as he walked into her office, stopping just inside.

"Booth," she said, looking up from her computer. "Come in."

"Bones," he said. "I'd like you to meet Special Agent Olivia Sparling, your new liaison. Agent Sparling, this here is Dr. Temperance Brennan, head of the Medico-Legal Lab… and my wife."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Brennan," Sparling said, stepping forward and offering her hand.

Brennan shook the young woman's hand in greeting and responded in kind.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Special Agent Sparling," she said. "You come highly recommended. Deputy Director Cullen speaks very highly of you, and I've been looking forward to your joining the team." She looked back at the doorway and greeted her last visitor. "Dr. Sweets," she said. "It's good to see you, as well. I hope you'll help Agent Sparling to become acquainted with our team and how we work."

"Absolutely, Dr. Brennan," Sweets replied.

"Do we have a case?" Brennan asked.

"No," Booth answered. "Not at the moment. We just wanted to come down with Sparling and introduce her to you and the team. Maybe let her get the lay of the land…"

"Of course," Brennan replied. "Most of the team is assembled on the platform. Follow me."

She led Booth, Sweets and Sparling to the platform, calling members of her team to join them along the way. She assembled everyone at the bottom of the stairs, introducing Sparling to the gathered scientists.

"Special Agent Sparling and Dr. Sweets will be handling the cases the FBI needs sends to us for the time being."

"For the time being?" Hodgins asked. "Is Sweets leaving us?"

Sweets shook his head but before he could answer, Brennan spoke again.

"No, of course not," she said. "Dr. Sweets will remain as a member of our team. But after Agent Sparling becomes acclimated, she will be assigned another agent as a full-time partner. Dr. Sweets will then resume his duties in assisting us with profiling, et cetera."

"So, we get two agents?" Wendell asked. Peyton had told him about the rumors swirling around the bullpen in Major Crimes, but she didn't know for sure what was going on because neither Booth nor Hanson had told her personally.

This time it was Booth's turn to answer.

"Yeah," he said. "We decided it would be best for everyone to have a two man team assigned to the lab. This way you guys should always have someone available to you… and more of our agents get a chance to get used to working with you guys."

"Dr. Sweets," Brennan said. "You can make the individual introductions if you don't mind. Dr. Edison, Booth and I would like to speak with you in my office, please."

Clark nodded in Brennan's direction and followed both she and Booth as they exited the platform. He followed them into Brennan's office, and Brennan motioned for him to have a seat.

"Clark," she said. "We wanted to speak with you privately to give you an opportunity to share your thoughts."

"This is still your team," Booth added, glancing sidelong at his wife to keep her from correcting him. "I just feel more comfortable with agents in the field…"

"…and squints in the lab," Clark finished. "I get it. And honestly, I appreciate it. I didn't mind helping out when Hanson asked, and I certainly didn't mind the extra involvement in the cases… but I do prefer to spend my time in the lab."

"How are the new interns workin' out?" Booth asked.

"They're doing well," Clark answered. "But they can use a little work. They're not quite ready to work with the FBI cases, in my opinion."

"I agree," Brennan replied. "And this new arrangement will afford you the time to give them the hands-on attention that they need."

Clark nodded as Brennan continued.

"Why don't you go out and assist in welcoming Agent Sparling to the team," she suggested.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," he answered.

Though Clark already had his doctorate when he began working with the Medico-Legal lab team, he had always been grateful to have been able to work with and to learn from Dr. Brennan. And even though the dynamic had changed, Brennan was now the lab's administrator and Clark was the head of the forensics team… Clark in some ways still felt like a student. He assumed he would always defer to his mentor in many ways, though society would now see them as peers.

The couple watched as Clark left the office.

"Parks is leaving for his week with Rebecca and Brent on Friday night. You wanna take Mia and Matty to the zoo this weekend?" he asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed. "It's still warm enough for an outdoor outing. The weather will be changing soon."

"Yeah, maybe we should do the zoo thing on Saturday and take the munchkins up to see Pops on Sunday…"

"We could do that," she said. "Are Jared and Padme still coming over after church? Maybe we could all go and take Hank out for lunch."

"Sounds like a plan, Bones. Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"Booth, dude. You have got to tap that."

"If you don't, I will."

"Hell, I might even if you do."

"Like she'd give you a shot."

"Fuck you, Coop. I'm the wide receiver… I'm the one who makes Booth look so good."

"Damn, she is smokin' hot, dude."

Parker let his friends go on before he finally interrupted their ramblings.

"You guys are assholes," he told them. "You know that, right?"

"Like you don't agree with us?" Cooper replied.

"Yeah," Parker answered. "Laci is hot. But I'm with Steph, remember?"

"So?" Eli added with a chuckle.

"Don't be a douche," Parker said. "Among the many things my dad has drilled into my head over the years, a real man doesn't have to cheat."

"All hail, St. Seeley," Eli said, laughing.

"Shut the fuck up, E," Parker replied.

"Ooooh," Cooper said. "The 'F' bomb. You certainly wouldn't say that in front of your old man."

"No," Parker agreed. "I wouldn't. It's called respect. Look it up."

"Dude," Eli said. "I'm sorry for ripping on your dad. But seriously, we're almost eighteen and you've been dating the same girl since we started high school. You need to change it up. If you don't want to cheat, then you need to break up with Jacobs."

"You now I never agree with E," Cooper said, putting his hand on Parker's shoulder. "But he's right, man. There's a whole world of girls out there. You need to sample some more before we get to college."

Parker had a lot to think about and honestly, he didn't really want to discuss it with his buddies. At least, not right now.

"Come on guys," he said. "We've got to get out on the field. Coach is gonna be pissed, and I for one, do not want to have to run extra wind sprints."

* * *

Brennan sat back against the headboard, watching as Booth went about his evening routine. Even after all their years together, the sight of him still had the capacity to take her breath away.

She watched as he moved about methodically, if slowly. She could sense a melancholy in his mood and wondered if it had to do with the same thing that had been on her mind for most of the evening.

"Parker was very quiet tonight," Brennan said as her husband joined her in bed.

"Yeah," Booth agreed. "I noticed that, too. Something's up with him, but you know how he gets. He's like you sometimes," he went on. "When he's up against something that he can't easily work out with science and logic, he kind of closes up a little bit, and we can't push him."

"He'll come to us," she said, reaching over and placing her hand on his arm. "When he's ready. You're right, sometimes he just needs to work things out in within himself before he talks about them with us… or with Rebecca and Brent."

"Let's not forget he's a teenager," Booth said, rubbing a hand over his face. "He may not want to talk to us at all."

"Like the rest of his family," Brennan began, smiling. "Parker has never been 'typical.' So, I wouldn't expect him to behave as a 'typical' teenager in this case, either."

"Yeah," her husband replied. "You're right."

He turned off the light on his bedside table and turned to face the woman he loved. He reached out to her and took her in his arms. He laid there quietly for a few minutes, relishing holding her before speaking again.

"Is it wrong that I don't want to talk about the kids anymore tonight?" he asked, his deep voice rumbling against the side of her neck just as the roughness of his day-old beard scraped lightly against her delicate skin.

"No," she answered, breathlessly. "You are a wonderful father, Booth. But you're also an amazing lover…"

Her thought was interrupted and her words swallowed as his mouth covered hers. The kiss was long and passionate and when they broke for air, Brennan continued with what she'd been saying.

"…and if focusing on that part of you right now makes you a bad father, then I'm a terrible mother because all I can think of right now is having you fill me, surround every part of me…"

"God, I love you, Bones," he replied, panting.

"I love you, too," she replied. "Now, make love with me, Booth."


End file.
